Daniels runs for 280 yards, 5 TDs; NAU beats Cal Poly 45-21

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP) — Kevin Daniels 280 yards rushing and five touchdowns — both career highs — to help Northern Arizona beat Cal Poly 45-21 on Saturday night in the season finale for both teams.

Daniels, a 6-foot-2, 225 pound freshman, finished the season with 1,146 yards rushing and became just the 17th player in program history to run for at least 1,000 yards — the first since Casey Jahn had 1,035 yards rushing in 2015.

Lepi Lataimua scored on a 1-yard run to cap a nine-play, 61-yard drive and give Cal Poly (2-8, 1-6 Big Sky Conference) a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter but two plays from scrimmage later RJ Martinez hit Coleman Owen for a 62-yard touchdown to make it 7-7 and NAU outscored the Mustangs 31-7 in second quarter to take control.

Daniels scored on runs of 3, 13, and 23 yards before taking a handoff, exploding up the middle and cutting left before winning a race down the left sideline for a 90-yard touchdown give Northern Arizona (4-6, 3-4) a 38-14 halftime lead.

Cal Poly committed four of its five turnovers in the second quarter.

___

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25.

Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25